A Tough Start in October
The Dallas Mavericks dropped their full 2026-27 regular season schedule on Thursday, and honestly, the first month looks brutal for this new roster. According to Mavs Moneyball, the team kicks off on the road against the Rockets, then heads straight to face the Pacers just two nights later. They come back home to tangle with the Finals runner-up Spurs before hopping back on the plane for a game against the Heat in Miami. That grueling stretch forces Dallas to play four games in six nights, with three of those contests happening away from the American Airlines Center.
This early season test comes at a time when new players and a new head coach are still trying to find their rhythm. The schedule could cause some serious scares before Halloween arrives, especially with so many back-to-back games packed into the first week. Mavs Moneyball notes that those scares might show up way before the holiday. If the squad treats these games like they have nothing to lose, they might steal a win or two, but the odds are stacked pretty high against them.
Can a team really survive a week like that without cracking?
The Longest Road Trip of the Year
While the start is rough, the true challenge for the Mavericks arrives in March. The season’s longest road trip runs March 17 to March 24, though late coach Don Nelson would argue it actually extends until March 29. His theory suggests that a single home game in the middle of a trip is just a quick stopover, not a real break. During this stretch, Dallas plays the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, Clippers, and Timberwolves before returning home for one game against the Pelicans.
After that brief stop, the team must hit the road again to face the Wizards and the Bucks. Playing seven of eight games away from home is a brutal test of endurance for any squad. Mavs Moneyball states that the Thunder and Spurs games involve short trips without time zone shifts, offering slight benefits. However, the two games in Los Angeles take place on consecutive nights, adding fatigue to the mix as the team tries to survive the grind. That’s seven games in a row on the road for the most part.
NBA Cup Showdowns and Star Power
The Emirates NBA Cup schedule brings specific marquee matchups that fans have been waiting to see. The Mavericks will face the Houston Rockets on October 30, bringing Kevin Durant back to Dallas for the first time in years. Durant, once a close friend of Kyrie Irving, faces added meaning in this matchup since Irving sat out the entire previous season while recovering from an ACL injury. Mavs Moneyball reports that this game will be the first time these two have faced off since Irving’s injury in February 2025.
The second home game of the tournament group stage lands on November 6, featuring a clash between two of the best players under the age of 20. Cooper Flagg is expected to battle Darryn Peterson of the Utah Jazz, likely marking the first of many future clashes. A 7:00 p.m. start time is scheduled for both home games, differing from the 7:30 p.m. slot Dallas has maintained for decades. The road games for the cup arrive during Thanksgiving week, with a nationally televised game in Denver on November 24 and a Black Friday clash against the Suns in Phoenix.
